


Moments in a Broom Cupboard

by welcometonerdworld



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Marauders' Era, Romance, Trapped In A Closet, jily
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 00:03:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3153287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/welcometonerdworld/pseuds/welcometonerdworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lily finds herself running into James in a broom cupboard more times than normal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily finds herself running into James in a broom cupboard more times than normal.

“Potter!” I yelled furiously, his surname spitting from my mouth as he grinned.

“Evans,” he said easily, “How goes it?”

“Why,” I seethed, “Would you drag me into a broom cupboard with you after curfew? What were you doing out of Gryffindor Tower?”

Let me put this in perspective. I, Lily Evans, Gryffindor first year, was walking back to the dorms from meeting with my best friend when I was unwillingly dragged by an invisible body into a broom cupboard.

The invisible person turned out to be James Potter, also known as Gryffindor first year who I tend not to get on with all too well, on account of the fact that he bullied Severus.

“What were you doing, Evans? Wouldn’t expect an innocent one like you wondering around the castle at this time.” He smirked, raising an eyebrow.

My temper flared. “I was going back to the dorms, I’ll have you know. I was only talking to Severus anyway, not that it’s any of your business –“

“Snape?” His expression changed from a casual smirk into a tight frown, “Merlin, Evans, I thought you had some taste –“

I interrupted him. “Oh, come off it, Potter, he’s my best mate –“

He laughed teasingly, “Doesn’t explain why you were snogging him at eleven in the night –“

“We were not snogging, you idiotic pervert,” I snapped, my nose wrinkling slightly. Sure, Severus was my best friend, but I’d never fancy him in a million years.

“Sure, Evans. Sure.”

“What were you doing, huh?” I demanded, hands on hips.

He lent back against the wall of the broom cupboard and grinned, spreading his arms out wide, “Exploring the castle, of course!”

“Exploring?” I repeated, “What for?”

“Oh, come on Evans,” he said, “Don’t tell me that this castle doesn’t fascinate you.”

I crossed my arms and lied through my teeth, shrugging, “It’s only school.”

He scoffed, “But it’s so cool, and massive, and there’s so many little things that are just amazing. I’ve read all about them, the secret passageways and alcoves and shortcuts and –“ He stopped abruptly, and even though it was dark I could tell that his cheeks were reddening slightly.

“Sorry,” he said, “I get kind of excited about it, that’s all.”

I tried not to gape. James Potter, losing his cool? James Potter, apologising? This was unfamiliar.

“S’okay, Potter. I guess the castle is pretty cool,” I admitted, and his lips quirked upwards.

“Told you,” He smirked again, “Well, if I ever find something, I’ll be sure to tell you.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

There was an awkward pause in which he ruffled his hair, and then hastily removed his hand from his head when he caught me glaring at it. God, I hated that. Why does he feel the need to always look like he’s just come off a broomstick? He’s not even on the Quidditch team; we’re in first year.

“Hey, Potter?” I asked suddenly.

“Evans.”

“Why’d you drag me in here?”

“Oh,” he said, “I thought you were Sirius. We were going to meet here.”

My eyes widened, “You mean Black’s out here too?”

He shrugged, “Yeah, why?”

I shook my head, “Just surprised that you two haven’t been caught, that’s all.”

“Huh. Going to sell us out to Filch, Evans?” He raised an eyebrow and I flushed. Did he really think I’d do that? Sure, James Potter and Sirius Black were idiots, but I wouldn’t tell Filch. We’d just lose points, and Gryffindor’s more important than two boys’ stupidity.

“No,” I said, “I wouldn’t do that.”

He smiled then – an actual smile, not one of his self-absorbed smirks – and murmured, “Thanks, Evans.” He sounded surprised, like he couldn’t believe that I wasn’t a tattle tale who was going to grass on him the second I could.

Before I could reply, the door burst open, and at the entrance stood Sirius Black.

“James!” He said, “I managed to find this place, it’s not huge but –“ He broke off as he realised that I was also in the cupboard.

“Evans?” He blinked, “What are you doing in here?”

“Nothing, Black,” I smiled, “Just going back to the common room. You two better not get caught, alright? I’m not having points taken off just for your adventures.”

I stepped out of the broom cupboard and waved at the pair of them: an astounded Black and a smiling Potter. As I walked back to my dormitory, I wondered about those boys. Maybe they weren’t so bad after all.


	2. Second Year

I’d like to think I’m a pretty nice person. I mean, okay, I have a short temper and only a select bunch of friends, but I’m not outright horrible to anyone. So what did I do to deserve this?

I was sitting outside, next to my best friend. He was telling me all about this new potion he’d read about in the library, and I was happily listening until he broke off. His eyes grew wide and stared at me like I was a Blast Ended Skrewt or something.

“Sev?” I asked concernedly, “You okay?”

“Lily,” he said slowly, “What happened to your hair?”

I frowned. It was messy, but it wasn’t that bad, right? “What do you mean?” I pulled on a bit of it, moved it round to my face, and gasped.

It was a hideous shade of green, kind of like a cross between Slytherin green and muddy grass green. I gaped at it until I heard a noise behind me, a rustling sound in the bushes.

The words I caught (Evans, crap, James, idiot, Peter) told me all I needed to know: James Potter is an imbecile and his friends are morons.

“POTTER!” I screamed, “I’m going to kill you!”

Severus started to say something, but I ignored him, furious. I sprung to my feet and started to run after the four boys who had come out from behind the bush and who were now running straight towards the school entrance.

I ran faster as they entered the building, and I felt a stitch sear up my side but blanked it. I was going to murder the bloody Marauders. Or at least, I thought I was, until I heard a shout, my vision blurred, and everything went black.

~~~

When I woke up, I was slumped in a broom cupboard. I blinked and looked around. I was clearly by myself, and so I sat and scowled for a good five minutes before I heard any noise. I tried getting out, but quickly realised that my wand had been taken and the door was locked. Then came the unmistakable sounds of four second years:

“Sirius, if you think I’m going in there you’re mental. Evans will blow my head off!”

“Do you think I give a damn? This was your bloody idea, and you’re going to face it –“

“Sirius is right. Where’s your Gryffindor courage, James?”

“I don’t really care who goes, but I’m definitely not.”

“For Merlin’s sake Pete, you’re the one who knocked me over! Do you all want me to die today?”

“Better you than me.”

“You asked for it.”

“Sorry, James.”

“Fine.”

There was a click and a thud and James Potter was standing in front of me, hands held up in defence.

“Before you start, Evans, I think you should know that I didn’t actually mean to –“

His words broke off as I stepped forward menacingly. I could see him gulping. “Potter,” I said quietly, “Before I spontaneously combust, I suggest that you explain what exactly would bring you to charm my hair green.” I narrowed my eyes. “Start talking. Now.”

He glanced around wildly, eyes panicked. “See, Evans, I didn’t actually mean to charm your hair green. Actually,” he said, putting a fake smile on his face, “I like your hair. It’s very pretty, long and red and wavy and I’d never want to change its colour, at least not deliberately.”

I scowled and crossed my arms. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Potter. I want an explanation.”

He sighed, “Okay, so I meant to charm Snivellus’ hair red, see, because me and the boys thought that it’d be a laugh, yeah? But Peter accidently knocked me over, so the incantation went messed up and my wand moved and – Evans, please don’t hex me.”

Hex him? I was going to slit his throat. “Let me get this straight,” I said, my tone dangerously calm, “You meant to hit Severus with your bloody spell and instead you hit me?”

“Well, yeah.” He said, rumpling his hair in the way that I loathed, “Sounds about right.”

“And then, because you were such a scaredy cat, you locked me in here for five minutes until one of you and your fellow tossers could have enough courage to come and face me?”

“Well I –“

“And you still haven’t charmed it back?”

“What? Oh, right.” He pulled his wand from his robes and muttered a charm, pointing it at my hair. I was still surprised that he’d managed to change my hair colour at all. Colour changing charms were normally fourth or fifth year material, not second.

Potter uttered a few words; there was a jet of light, and then his eyes widened in horror.

“What, Potter?” I demanded, and I pulled a strand of hair from my ponytail for inspection.

Before I could fully comprehend what I was seeing, he was on the run, backing out of the broom cupboard and going full speed ahead down the corridor.

“POTTER!” I screamed, “It’s blonde. BLONDE!”

He didn’t look back for a second, and instead yelled a quick, “Sorry, Evans!” as he turned a corner.

I sprinted after him, cursing the day that I’d met James Potter and became involved in his ridiculous antics.


	3. Third Year

I left the library in a hurry after having spilt my inkpot all over the table – Madame Pince was going to murder me, and that was before she discovered that this was Scrivenshaft’s newest permanent ink that I’d bought on my first Hogsmeade trip. I quickly speed walked back to the Gryffindor common room, only pausing when I heard a noise coming from a broom cupboard. I stopped outside the door, wondering what to do – it sounded like crying. My curiosity got the better of me and I slowly pushed the door open.

“Sirius,” said a muffled voice, “I’m not going to talk, so you better just piss off –“

It was Potter. I came forward awkwardly, cutting him off. “I’m not Sirius,” I said, “Lily.”

“Oh,” he said, and I sat down in front of him. Our knees touched and he mumbled, “Well, this is awkward.”

“Yeah.” I fidgeted slightly on the uncomfortable floor, smoothing out my skirt. I’d never seen Potter like this: undeliberately dishevelled and with shaky breaths and tear tracks on his cheeks.

“Right.” He muttered, clearly feeling as uncomfortable as me. I began to regret coming in here – Potter and I were hardly best mates, so what reason did I have for butting in on his business?

I was silent for a second, and then said quietly, “If you want to talk about…whatever’s upsetting you, you can talk to me.”

“Thanks, Evans.” He said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He looked at me for a second and then averted his eyes. They were bloodshot.

“Lily,” I corrected, “You can call me Lily.”

“Okay,” he said.

We sat together for a moment or so, and I listened as his breathing became steadier.

“Lily,” he began, “My dad died this morning.”

The way he said it, so blunt and outright, made me want to hug him. Stunned, I gripped the hand that was resting on his left knee. “I’m sorry, James.”

“It’s okay. He led a raid – he’s an Auror, you know – and it all went wrong. My mum was in with a different team, so she was fine. But he got hit by the killing curse and…”

His voice broke and I instinctively shuffled round to his side, so that we were sitting next to each other. I held his hand tighter and his head dropped softly on to my shoulder.

I felt a warm drop of liquid land on my shirt.

“He’s in a good place now, James,” I found myself saying, “A better place.”

He took a shaky breath. “You really think so?”

I nodded, and turned my head to look at him. He was slumped over, left hand in mine and hugging his knees to his chest protectively.

“Thanks, Lily.”

“It’s okay.”

He breathed deeply: in, out, in, out. “I’m going home tomorrow.”

“For the funeral?”

He nodded against my shoulder. “I have to help my mum,” he said, “I’m all she’s got left, and she’s all I’ve got left.”

“No,” I disagreed softly, “You’ve got us, James.”

“What?”

“You’ve got Sirius. Remus, Peter. You’ve got Mary, Marlene. Me.” My voice became stronger. “You’ve got all of us, and don’t you ever forget it. Okay?”

He straightened up, and as his head left my shoulder I felt a strange sense of loss. “Okay. Lily,” he asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

I looked him in the eye. Tears were still swimming in his, threatening to roll over onto his face. “If you want me to come, I will.”

“I do.”

“Then I’ll come.”

“Thanks, Lily.”

“James Potter, if you thank me one more time, I will not hesitate to hex you.”

He let out a watery chuckle at my empty threat and I saw the edge of his lips twitch upwards into something that resembled a half smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything less of you.” He ruffled his hair with his right hand, “It’s good to know that some things never change.”


End file.
